I came out to check on my mare tonight and in less than 24 hours he eyes are so puffy and swollen. :-( There is no drainage or puss, and her eyes are not goopy at all. They are tender for me to touch.
She wears a fly mask right now that i keep loose and comfortable on her, as well and keeping it cleaned. She hasn't ever had any issues like this before. When I came out there, she had managed to get her fly mask off. I'm not sure when in the day this happened, and I don't know if her eyes were swollen before, and she got it off because of the irritation; or if she got it off and then the irritation happened after. Is this even an irritation at all?
I've attached some pictures. Don't mind the dust on her face, I just turned her out and she rolled. I rinsed her face off to keep the dirt off her face, dried her off then put her away. Any thoughts?

Muppetgirl

08-13-2013 12:48 AM

Photo sensitivity from wearing a fly mask and then having it off in the bright sun? Allergic reaction?

natisha

08-13-2013 03:34 AM

One of mine will puff up in bright conditions, not quite as much as your horse & only on the bottom lids. She wears a mask even in winter on bright days. Her eyes are normal otherwise & it doesn't seem to bother her at all, it bothers me though.
I've noticed a lot of horses have puffy lids without any ill effect. I think it may be nature's sunglasses.

Tryst

08-13-2013 07:13 PM

I would guess an allergic reaction. I would monitor, but if it has not gone down within 12-24 hours (or gets worse) I would call your vet.

WesternRider88

08-13-2013 07:24 PM

I had a horse that would have swollen eyes like that when it's really dusty outside. But something a neighbor told me was she would make regular black tea and put it on their eyes if they got swollen and it actually works for me. You have to make sure a little of the tea goes into the eye and also that the tea isn't too diluted. Within several hours the swelling usually goes down some, but I do it a couple times before the swelling is completely gone.

Hope this helps any. :smile:

Ninamebo

08-16-2013 10:08 AM

I agree with tryst. If she will let you cold hose her face it might help with the swelling a tad. Monitor and if no change call the vet. Eyes usually do things pretty drastically compared to other body parts- and by that I mean you should see changes fairly fast, 12 h or so. Good luck!Posted via Mobile Device